Truck Sales Plow Through February

Poor weather weighed on U.S. auto sales in February, but did little to stem Americans’ growing appetite for pricier trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

While several auto makers posted lower-than-expected volumes for the month, light-vehicle sales rose 5.3% from a year earlier. The annualized sales pace eased to a 16.23 million adjusted rate, from 16.66 million in January. General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. were among the industry’s standouts, reporting February gains of 4.2% and 13%, respectively.